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Some Windsurf users report Cascade sessions that keep planning but never produce implementation edits. When this happens, workflow constraints usually matter more than model quality.
Common Triggers
- Too much noisy workspace context (build artifacts, generated files, huge vendor trees).
- Overloaded global rules that conflict with each other.
- Prompts that mix architecture planning and code generation in one step.
Practical Recovery Steps
- Stop the current run and restart with a narrower file/task scope.
- Exclude non-essential directories from project indexing context.
- Use explicit mode intent: planning first, then implementation-only prompt.
- Request a concrete patch target (file + function + acceptance criteria).
Reduce Guesswork Up Front
Spec-first task definitions reduce loop risk by clarifying intent. BrainGrid helps produce deterministic implementation requests.